Mouthpiece for musical wind instruments



1957 K. E. scHATz MOUTHFIECE FOR MUSICAL WIND INSTRUMENTS Filed April 30, 1956 A TTORNEYS United rates Patent MOUTHPIECE FOR MUSICAL WIND INSTRUMENTS Karl Eduard Schatz, Ludwigshafen (Rhine), Germany, assignor to Charles K. Etzel, Stockton, Calif.

Application April 30, 1956, Serial No. 581,431

Claims. (Cl. 84-398) This invention relates to a mouthpiece for musical wind instruments, particularly brass instruments such as trumpets, cornets and the like.

in playing an instrument of the kind referred to the musician must hold the mouthpiece firmly to his lips with considerable efiort and variable pressure in order to modulate, i. e. to reduce or increase the volume of the cup of the mouthpiece, and at the same time force his breath at varying pressures against and past the curved walls of the cup of the mouthpiece to properly produce diiferent musical pitches with clarity of tone. Since mouthpieces as heretofore made are of solid construction, playing of such instruments for long protracted periods resulted in over fatigue to the performer as well as excessive soreness of the lips. Moreover, for certain high or low scale use, it has been necessary heretofore to interchange mouthpieces having different cup volumes and bores.

The chief aim of my invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. This objective is realized in practice, as hereinafter more fully disclosed, through provision of a mouthpiece having a shank component and a relatively movable cup component which yields to comparatively light lip pressure, and of which the cup volume and the cross section of the bore are progressively varied in cross section as required for clear production of all of the different tonal pitches within the scale range of the instrument with minimum effort on the part of the player.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows, in axial section, a mouthpiece conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with the lip contacting cup element of the mouthpiece fully depressed as required for production of musical tones high in pitch.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shank element of the mouthpiece.

Fig. 4 shows the top end view of the mouthpiece with a portion broken out and in cross section taken as indicated by the angled arrows lV-IV in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken as indicated by the angled arrows VV in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail View in cross section taken as indicated by the angled arrows VIVI in Fig. 2. v

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail section taken as indicated by the angled arrows VIIVI1 in Fig. l; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in axial section corresponding to Fig. 1 and showing how the extent of permissible movement of the cup component can be adjusted.

As herein exemplified, the mouthpiece of my invention comprises a shank component and a cup component which are designated comprehensively by the numerals 10 and 11 respectively, the shank component being separately illustrated in perspective in Fig. 3. The upper end portion 12 of the shank component 10 is cylindrical, and between the latter and a medial cylindrical portion 13 of smaller diameter, it is formed with a double shouldered circumferential flange 14 which is undercut as at 15, the lower portion 16 of said component being tapered downwardly. The flange 14 of the component 10 is grooved tangentially as at 17 immediately above its lower shoulder (Figs. l-3, 5, 7 and 8) and the portion below said groove is slitted at an acute angle to the horizontal, as at 18, with consequent provision of a displaceable tongue 1% for a purpose later on explained. Disposed wit-bin the bore 20 in the upper portion 12 of the shank component 1.0 is a short tubular element 21 of rubber or other resilient material which is held in place between a shoulder 22 of the bore and a stop annulus 23 fixed within said bore, the latter being round or bell hollowed as at 24 above said annulus. As shown, the opening in the annulus 23 tapers downwardly to a diameter equal to the internal diameter of the resilient tubular element 21, and the remainder of the bore in the component 10 is flared gently downward as at 25 from the shoulder 22 to the bottom end. A continuous smooth surfaced passage is thus provided through the shank component.

The cup component 11 of the mouthpiece is engaged about the upper portion of the shank component 10 with capacity for limited axial movement relative thereto, and, as shown, is composed of two parts 26 and 27 respectively having bore portions 28 and 29 to fit the cylindrical portions 12 and 13 of said shank component. The diametrically reduced counterbored portion 30 of the part 26 is threadedly engaged into the counterbored portion 31 of the part 2'7, as at 32, with provision of an annular hollow around the portion 12 of the component 1d. Surrounding the portion 12 of the shank component 1% is a relatively light helical spring 33 of which the upper end bears against the annular shoulder of the counterbore in the part 26, and of which the bottom end bears against the upper shoulder on the flange 14 of said shank component. By the force of the spring 33, the cup component 11' is normally maintained yieldingly in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 relative to the shank component 10 with the bottom of the counterbore of the part 26 spaced from the lower shoulder of the flange 14 of the shank component. Downward movement of the component 11 is limited by engagement of the bottom end of the part 26 with the shoulder of the flange 14 of the component it) as shown in Fig. 2.

Secured by a screw 36 (Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 6) within the upper portion of the part 26 of the cup component 11 and engaging into a longitudinal groove 37 in the upper portion 12 of the component it is a key-like element 33 of which the lower end is beveled for cumming action upon a ball 39 constrained within a lateral aperture 40 in said portion 12 of the component 10 adjacent the resilient tubular inset 21.

In the use of the mouthpiece, the cup component 11 is moved to different extents by variable lip pressure thereupon against the force of the spring 33, which, as already pointed out, is very light and thus yields readily to compression without necessitating the exercise of undue exertion on the part of the player, the extent of movement being limited by contact of the bottom end of the part 26 with the lower stop of the flange 14 as already explained. As the cup component 11 is depressed, the ball 39 is gradually urged inwardly of the aperture 40 in the portion 12 of the shank component 10 by the cumming action of the key-like element 38, with incidental gradual deformation of the resilient tubular inset 21 and gradual contraction of the passage through the latter in a manner readily understood from Fig. 2. At the same time, the throat size (volume) of the throat 24 of the cup component 11 will be gradually decreased as required for the production of the higher pitch tones within the range of the instrument.

By application of a suitable implement such as a screw driver or the like into the slit 18 on the flange 14 of the 3 shank component 10, the tongue 19 can be displaced, as instanced'in Fig. 8, to change the limit of movement of the cup element to suit the desires or requirements of individual users of the mouthpiece. v w

from the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a relatively simple mouthpiece for musical instruments of the triimpet type, which is relativelysimple in construction, which lends itself to quantity production at small cost; and which makes playing possible over long continuous performances without incurring fatigue and severe lipsoreness.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A mouthpiece, tor a trumpet or the like, comprising a tubular 'shank component; a cup compohent or contact by the lips of the player, engaged, with capacity for limited longitudinal sliding movei'neiit aboiit one end of the shank component; incorporated spring means yieldingly resisting such sliding movement; a tubular element of resilient material set axially into the bore of the cup component; and means actuated, iipon movement of "the cup component by lip pressure against the 'force of the spring means, for distorting the tubular element laterally to progressively vary the cross section ofthe-passage therethrough, as and 'for the purpose set forth.

2. A mouthpiece oharacterizedas in claim '1, wherein the distorting means includes ab'all constrained within an opening in the side of the shank member adjacent the resilient tubular element, and a cooperative cam surface internally of the cup component by which the ball is urged inwardly to cross sectionally contract said resilient tubular element. a

3. A mouthpiece characterized as-in claim 1, further including means whereby the extent of axial movement of the cup component relative to the shank component can be adjusted.

4. A mouthpiece characterized as in claim 1, wherein the outer end of the cup component normally projects beyond the end of the surrounded end portion of the shank component; and wherein said end portion of the shank component is concavely hollowed to form, in conjunction with the receiving bore portion of the shank, an entrant throat whereof the size is reduced upon movement of the cup component as aforesaid, concurrently with reduction of the area of the passage in the resilient tubular element.

5. A mouthpiece, for a trumpet or the like, comprising a tubular shank component having a cylindrical portion at the upper end thereof anda double shouldered circumferential flange between said cylindrical portion and a medial cylindrical portion of smaller'diairieter, said flange having a tangential groove immediately above its lower shoulder and a slitextending at an acute angle to the horizontal from the groove at the center to the flange bottom as and for the purpose described; a cup component engaged, with capacity for limited longitudinal-sliding movement, over the upper end of the shank component, said cup component having bore portions to fit respectively about the large and small diameter cylindrical portions of the shank component, and an intervening hollow providing a circumferential clearance around the large diameter cylindrical portion of the shank component; a helical compression spring surrounding the large diameter cylindrical portion of the shank component, one end of the spring bearing upon the upper shoulder of the flange and the other end of the spring bearing upon an annular shoulder internally of the upper portion of the cup component for yieldingly resisting downward movement of the cup component relative to the shank component; a tubular element of resilient material set axially into the bore of the large diameter cylindrical portion of the shank component; a ball constrained within a lateral aperture in the large diameter cylindric portion of the shank component adjaceht the resilient tubular inset; and a key-like cam piece secured within the upper bore of the cup component and projecting into a longitudinal slot in the large diameter portion of the shank element, said cam piece having a bevel to act upon the ball and thereby cause the tubular inset to be contracted laterally when the cup element is moved against thepressure of the spring.

No references cited. 

